WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-Shots and Short Stories - NARUTO
by WanderingRurouni
Summary: A collection of random stories, with some possibilities(although, not likely) of continuity.
1. Introduction

**WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-shots and Short Stories**

* * *

**3/15/2014 – Chapter1: Introduction**

_**GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS!**_

I know that I've been saying that I would be gone for a long hiatus. But, perhaps...I've found a solution to this predicament.

Introducing: WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-Shots and Short Stories.

As you can inference from the title, _this_ will be a collection that theoretically, will never end. I know that I may be disappointing many of you with this(No longer a single, continous story). But _Cherry Blossoms in the Wind_, as of now, is the single greatest piece of writing that I have ever created, it is my personal nod to NaruSaku fandom, and I don't feel a necessity to add anything else to the story.

**To Summarize**: A collection, of mostly/all M-Rated one-shots, and perhaps 2-3 parters, but nothing too serious, no character deaths, no heart-wrenching cliff-hangers.

I promise.

Now, you may be wondering, "Who will you write about most?"

The main character here will be Naruto

NaruSaku will probably be the main pairing. Anything that I can make sense out of really...With a bias to NaruSaku.

Just nothing with Sasuke ***cough***_I hate him _***cough***

Nothing like SasuNaru either, because I don't read those fics, and naturally, I don't feel that I can do it justice.

I'll be adding to this collection whenever I find an urge or inspiration to write.

Oh, and I'd like to add _why_ I've decided to start this up.

Because I felt bad saying good-bye to you all.

Seriously.

So, I hope you join me again.


	2. One Last Night with You

**WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-shots and Short Stories**

* * *

**3/17/2014 – Chapter 2: One Last Night with You**

_CONTINUITY:_** A Spin-off of my **_**Caretaker**_** One-shot/**_**Cherry Blossoms in the Wind **_**(Chapter 3, "Secrets")**

INSPIRED BY:** A Dream that I had**

_NARRATION:_** Third Person, Omniscient**

_MAIN CHARACTERS:_** Naruto/Ino/Sakura**

_RATING:_** M**

GENRE:** A Hint of Drama/Romance**

_SETTING:_** Alternate Anime World**

_WORD COUNT:_ **4,728**

_WARNINGS:_** Kind of Dominatrix-y**

**Here's what you can expect as a standard for this new collection.**

**There were so many times that I wanted to stop and put in a cliff-hanger. But I promised that I wouldn't, so I didn't.**

…

Naruto turned the handle to his shower; warm water dripped off his hair, and flowed down his body. He placed a palm on the glass door, and opened it with a single push. A firm fist wrapped around a black towel as he brought it to his head, and dried himself off.

He stepped out of the bathroom, the towel now wrapped around his waist, and walked towards his room. After a fresh change of clothes, he walked over to a calendar that hung on his wall, and with a red marker, created a "X" on the current day.

As his hands moved, his thoughts tracked back.

…

_"You're leaving?!" He shouted in surprise._

_"I have to, Naruto." Sakura replied. "Tsunade-sama needs me to be her representative, it's a mission to garner the favor of the minor villages. It's something that we need to do."_

_"How long?" He asked in both concern and frustration_

_"One year." Sakura replied in a low tone._

_"..." Naruto let out a deep breath, "...Then let me come with you." He hastily offered._

_"We can't do that." Sakura regrettably informed him. "This is a one-person mission, and Tsunade-sama doesn't really trust you in diplomatic situations." Sakura said with the hint of a smile._

_She looked at his gloom ridden face, and rested a soft palm on his cheek._

_"I'll be back sooner than you think." She added with a warm smile. Moving closer to him, she brought her lips to his; their eyes closed together, and they held each other in the one moment that they both would love to freeze in time, to live it out forever._

...

He shook his head, capped the marker again, and let out a deep breath. His thoughts jumped back again.

...

_"Don't you ever get...lonely?" Ino asked him quietly while inching closer to him on his bed._

_"What are you saying...?" His voice trailed off with weakness and uncertainty._

_"I mean..." Ino whispered back while moving her hand closer to his leg. Her palm was hovering above his thigh._

_He immediately shot up to his feet, and began backing away slowly._

_"O-Okay Ino, I know what you're trying to say, but I couldn't do anything like that." He spoke faster than his mind could register is own words. "I couldn't. I could never do that to Sakura-chan." Ino slowly rose to her feet._

_With slow steps, she advanced towards him. He backed away with every step that she took forward. He could almost hear the floor boards creaking with his heavy-hearted steps. He tried his best to bluff his way through this dilemma._

_"...Is it that you don't find me attractive?" She asked with a hint of innocence._

_"N-No! That's not it," He emphasized his answer by waving his arms. She took more steps towards him._

_"Let me show you something." She added. He backed away until he felt a thud against his back. "Trust me, Naruto." He paused. Ino brought her hands up. "Close your eyes." Naruto warily followed her instructions, easing his eye lids over, still twitching with uncertainty._

_Ino slowly brought her thumbs to his temples, took hold of his jaw with her gentle fingers, and rested her forehead onto his. She let in a deep breath, and mental images began to broadcast themselves, playing out like a movie inside his mind._

...

_**In a room, he saw Ino sitting next to Sakura, whose cheeks were stained with tears the streamed down her face. Her shoulder were shuddering with cries of dispair.**_

_**"Sakura, I know that it hurts, but we have to do what we're told. It's our duty as kunoi-"**_

_**Sakura shot a look stained with anger and disgust.**_

_**"Don't give me that bullshit excuse, Ino." Sakura expressed with a hint of malice Ino's expression sunk into the depths of her stomach.**_

_**"...sorry."**_

_**They sat in silence, Ino's arm rested against Sakur's shoulders, trying-in vain, to comfort her best friend.**_

_**"Sakura, if there's anything that you need, just ask. And I'll do it." She tried her best to reassure the mourning kunoichi.**_

_**"There is something." Sakura said through light sniffiling. She brought her tearful expression up, and met Ino's eyes. "While I'm gone...Take care of Naruto for me."**_

_**Ino's eyes widened. She sat silent for a few quiet moments, and the wrapped her arms around Sakura, and squeezed her with a friendly hug.**_

_**"I promise you, Sakura. I will."**_

...

_Ino opened her eyes, and met Naruto's._

_"I promised Sakura that I would take care of you. And I plan to keep that promise."_

_Ino pulled him forward, Naruto followed with no reluctance, she descended down onto the bed, pulling him down with her._

...

"One year." He said aloud. "Sakura returns today." He added with a smile, and slipped on his signature outfit, a plain white T-shirt, orange pants, and his jacket decorated with a black trim, on a basic orange.

…

Ino descended the stairs with an oddly sluggish manner; she walked almost carelessly as her mind wandered somewhere else, focusing on a whole other matter. She stepped outside of her house into the family garden, where her mother tended to the flowers.

"Mom…? Do you have some time to talk?" Ino asked nervously while holding one arm with the other. Her mother responded with a caring smile, and invited her onto a bench.

"What is it, dear?" She asked in her calm demeanor.

"I need to talk to you about…love." Ino admitted nervously.

"Oh…Well then, go ahead, I'm listening."

"The thing is, Sakura has been gone for a long time." Ino began, trying her best to express her feelings as tactfully as possible. "And I've been spending a lot of time with Naruto…" Ino paused, unsure of how to say next. She decided to be as blunt as possible, and just come out with it. "…and I think I've developed feelings for him…Mom, I think…I love him." Her mother cleared her throat, trying to find the right words to express her own feelings on the matter.

"You must be very conflicted, Ino." She stated calmly. Ino nodded, acknowledging the truth.

"I don't know what I should do. I have feelings about him, but I don't want to hurt Sakura's feelings."

"Ino, I can't tell you what to do," she began sternly. "I can't make that choice for you, but I can help you decide to the best of my ability." She brought her face up, and looked into her daughter's eyes with care. "You must decide what you will do, but whatever choice you make-you must give it your all, and do the best you can until you reach your final goal."

"But, is it wrong for me to feel this way? I knew that they were both in a relationship-"

"I cannot answer that for you, you must decide what is right, and what is wrong. Just remember that there will be consequences for your actions." Her mother answered back with a shifting expression, slowly sinking into a somber tone.

"O-Okay. Thanks Mom, I really needed this talk. I'll decide what I want to do." Ino quietly answered her back, and opened her arms. Her mother turned and wrapped her own arms around her daughter.

"Is there anything else?"

"No, I think I know what to do now."

Ino gently released her hold, stood up, and exited the house. She was still unsure of what she would do, despite what she told her mother, but she still had another person to talk to before she had to make her decision. She began walking towards the Headquarters of the Intelligence Division.

...

"You're really asking me this?" Her father asked aloud. He was bent over s small table, his palms flat, leaning over a schedule of interrogations and prisoners, filled with statistics, times, and descriptors.

"...Yes, Mom already told me what she thinks, so I want to know what you think." Ino replied weakly, but there was one detail she didn't add with him. She didn't tell him specifically who she had feelings for. They stood in a small conference room where a meeting was being held, Inoichi had dismissed the members of his higher ranking staff for Ino's self-described "emergency."

"Ino, you know that I love you, but right now, there are other matters that I need to attend to." He sighed.

"Please Dad! This decision is really tearing at me. Just give me something short and sweet!"

"Fine." He sighed even deeper. "Do you know how I met your mother?"

"You came to buy flowers from our shop, for grandma."

"Yes, and do you know how I convinced the beautiful woman behind the counter to marry me?"

silence hung heavily in the air.

"...I never gave up." Inoichi started to exaggerate his gestures while he spoke. "Do you really think that your mother would openly marry a man who looks like this?" He pointed to his face, emphasizing the strong cheekbones that he had. "Whatever your choice, just never give up. You'll get what's rightfully yours if you are tenacious enough."

"..." Ino was speechless; she then let out a hearty laugh, and smiled. "Thanks Dad, I know what to do now." She hugged him tightly; he held his hands to his sides and stood as stiff as a piece of wood stricken with riga-mortis. Ino ran out of the door, and the officers flooded back in after her.

Inoichi looked upon his most trusted officials.

"What? You want to know what I told her?!"

Silence.

"We're in the Intelligence Division. What do you think I told her?!"

Silence.

"I LIED!"

...

Naruto walked through the streets of Konoha in a daze, he was nearly ecstatic that the woman he loved was returning. But he was also regretting what he had done, just one month after her departure. Sitting down on a bench, he blankly stared into the dirt road, unsure of how to proceed, unsure of how to work his way out of this awkward situation.

"Yo! Naruto!" he heard a voice call out to him, masked behind the crackling of a small plastic bag, and the crunching of a jaw descending upon itself. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Chouji…It's going, but that's about it." Naruto replied.

"You want one?" Chouji held out the bag. Naruto smiled and gladly took a single chip out of the container. "So, you wanna talk about it?" He added while taking a seat next to Naruto.

"Well, the thing is, I'm not sure if I can talk about it with you." He said with a somber tone while rubbing his hands together, trying to clear off the crumbs and salt from the potato chips. "…It's a personal thing."

"Ah." Chouji said bluntly. "It's about Sakura, isn't it?" He added.

"How did you know?" Naruto asked, slightly dumbfounded that Chouji could actually deduce the source of his sorrow.

"Well, when you-" he pointed to himself, clarifying that he was speaking from his point of view. "…aren't noticeable, you kind of meld into the background. And when no one notices you, you can observe anyone to an outstanding degree." He took another chip, and chomped down upon it. "That's what I've learned from being such an outcast for most of my life."

"…And how did you use that ability to determine what I was thinking about?" Naruto asked, even more dumbfounded. Chouji swallowed before he answered.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Sakura. And when I did see her, she was with you." He looked up at Naruto. "And when she was with you, she seemed to be happier than anyone else." Chouji's hand began to wrap around the plastic bag, crumpling it with a large fist. "I've noticed the same thing with you. It seems like you haven't been happy in the longest time. You must really miss her."

"Yeah…That's true." He acknowledged Chouji's wisdom. With a burp, and a smile, Chouji placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"But don't worry, everything will get better." He reached into the back of his pants, and pulled out a folded note from his pocket. "I was told to give you this."

"Who was it from?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know, whoever wanted me to do it sent me a note about this one 'give this to Naruto-DON'T READ IT!' by carrier pigeon." Chouji answered. Naruto held out a hand, an offer that Chouji answered by moving his fingers. "Messy hands." Naruto responded by taking his hand anyway, and hugging him with a pat on the back.

"Thanks, Chouji. You're wiser than most people give you credit for."

Chouji replied with another loud burp, and they both laughed it off.

…

"How did it go?" Tsunade's voice boomed through her office. "You haven't sent a report in a while."

"It went well, they say that they're ready, and put all faith within the village." A kunoichi with pink hair answered. "They expect us to protect them from all threats that may appear throughout the foreseeable future; in return, they'll provide us supplies that we can use to trade with the other nations."

"Good! You've done well, Sakura. I knew that I could count on you."

"Yes, Master. I would never let you down." Sakura added with a salute.

"Good. You've just gotten back, take some time off."

"Thank you, Master."

"Dismissed!" Tsunade waved her hand over the room, as if she was pushing a shockwave. Sakura bowed to her, and exited the room. She immediately took off for home, still dressed in the standard Konoha Flak Jacket, and her prized headband.

Only minutes later, her foot entered the doorway to her house. Sakura bent over, unzipped her shoes, and let out a deep breath.

"Sakura?! Is that you?!" Her mother's voice came from the kitchen.

"Yes, it's me, Mom!" she replied.

She saw her mother rush through the hallway, careening towards her daughter with open arms. Sakura stood up, opened her arms and received what felt like the tightest hug that she had ever experienced.

"I'm so happy your home! Are you hungry? I just made some food!"

"I'd love to Mom, but I can't. I'm going to get ready, and then go meet someone."

"But you just got back!"

"I know…" Sakura cringed at what she said next. "...But I need to meet him. I'll be back home later tonight. I promise."

Sakura rushed upstairs after hugging her mother again. After a short shower, she stepped out of the bathroom, changed in a rush, and picked up a pair of keys.

_I'll surprise him._

"Okay, I'm leaving now! I'll be back later!" She shouted before darting out the door.

"Stay safe!" Her mother shouted back.

…

Naruto waved good-bye to Chouji, still holding the folded parchment between his fingers. He unwrapped it and read it to himself

_Please meet me at the training grounds._

He didn't recognize the handwriting, but slipped the paper into his pocket, stood up, and walked off towards his destination.

Through the thick brush of the forest, the sun's rays leaked through the leaves, dotting a ground with blotches of light that seemed to have been flicked off from an artist's paint brush. To pass the time, he decided to count every stream of light that touched the forest floor, one stream of light for every step he took.

"Two-thousand five-hundred and sixty" The sound of the enormous waterfall pummeling the ground started to drown out his soft, self-spoken whispers. "Two-thousand five-hundred and eighty-one." He exited the forest; the last leaf silhouette was overtaken by emerald blankets of grass that shined with the full light of the sun. He looked up, eyes slowly adjusting to the light.

"Naruto." Her voice entered his eardrums. Her soft tone seemed to block out every other noise; the wind that brushed against the leaves, the water that crashed upon the ground, the melodies sung by birds that hung in the air, and the breath that he exhaled from his lungs. Nothing could break his focus on her beautiful voice that he hadn't heard in so long.

"Sakura-chan." His eyes locked with hers. The wind took hold of her long, pink hair, and waved it majestically with the breeze. She wore a red dress, similar to the one she wore as a child, which also followed the breeze.

They ran towards one another, and embraced in the light of the warm sun, holding each other as if they had been worlds apart for a lifetime. She held his head with her soft hands, and kissed him. He returned her affection tenfold. Sakura felt her knees become weak, and buckled. Naruto bent down, catching her with his arms, and held her closely with their lips still connected

"I've missed you so much." He whispered while placing her back on her feet. Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and held him.

"The only thing that kept me going was knowing that I would see you again." She took hold of his hand, and dragged him back towards the forest. "Let's go to your place." She whispered. He raised his eyebrow, then relaxed, and followed her obediently

…

They reached his house, two-thousand eight-hundred and sixty-two steps later. Sakura took his hand, and lead him to his bed. His hand cupped her cheek, and ran down her long, silky hair.

"You grew your hair out again." He observed

"What's wrong?" She asked with a hint of worry. "You don't like it?"

"No, that's not it. You look beautiful, as you always have." He leaned over towards her, and caressed her lips with his own again. She leaned back, pulling him towards her; he followed her down, with his hand moving across her dress.

They immediately stopped when a clinking sound hit the hardwood floor

"NARUTO?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" A voice tore away at his eardrums. He looked over, and saw Sakura-with short hair, clenching her fist and blushing in anger-educed embarrassment.

He shot up to his feet in panic and confusion. On his bed, there was Sakura, with long hair, and a flowing red dress. In his doorway, was Sakura, with short hair, a red top, and black shorts.

"SAKURA-CHAN?!" his voice cracked with panic. "B-But…" His sight twitched from one Sakura to the other. "What the hell is going on?!" He brought his hands to his head, almost crushing his cranium in confusion. The Sakura who stood in the hallway stepped forth and took hold of the Sakura on the bed, with her strong grip; she lifted the other Sakura into the air.

"Who the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing here?!" Short-Haired Sakura raised her fist. Long-Haired Sakura swiftly swiped away at Short-Haired Sakura's hands, freeing herself, and with the swiftness of a cat, she ran out of Naruto's still open door. "Hey! Come back here!" Short-Haired Sakura took off after her other self; but stopped once she reached the door, slammed it shut, and turned around. Naruto felt an aura of evil intentions coming from her.

"S-Sakura-chan…? W-wait, I know what it looks like, but you've got to understand why I did that…I" He stood still, no matter what his brain was telling his legs to do, they were frozen in utter fear. She forcefully grasped the collar of his jacket and pulled her own fist back. He closed his eyes in anticipation of having his face caved him.

Instead of having his face broken in two, Sakura slammed him onto the bed, he landed on his back, and shook his head in even more confusion. His vision clearing, he shook his head again, and found her straddled over him. Sakura took hold of his collar again, and pulled his lips towards hers. His eyes shot open in shock. Sakura's tongue broke through his lips, wrapping around his own tongue, and moving through his entire mouth. With a gentle bite on his bottom lip, a small string of saliva formed and stretched out as she pulled away.

He stared at her in a mixture of confusion and amazement, taking in deep breaths to calm his nerves, even more uncertain now than before at what she was going to do.

"I haven't seen you in so long." She said in a soft tone. "...I come here to find you fondling a mirror image of me…Do you know how that makes me feel?" She added with tense shoulders. "…You'll have to deal with the consequences"

His eyes widened in fearful confusion.

"…" Sakura removed her gloves, placed her hands under her top, and pulled it off.

"Wait!...What kind of consequen-" She stopped his words with another deep kiss that rocked his heart, raising his pulse immediately.

"If I ever find out who she is...She'll pay for it." She whispered sinisterly into his ear.

Sakura had him pinned down to his bed.

On one hand…He was in no _position_ to protest.

On the other hand…He had no _desire_ to protest.

Sakura opened his jacket, letting it slip off to his sides; she pulled him up by the collar of his shirt, allowing him to wiggle the coat free from his arms; dragging it off, she whipped it away to the ground. Sakura supported herself on him; her touch was captivating him.

Sakura felt him growing underneath her, she lowered her hips, teasing him with slow thrusts, the fabric of her shorts becoming soaked by the second. With her eyes shut, she let out soft moans, feeling every involuntary, yet, pleasing twitch in his pants. Sakura lowered herself onto him, and stopped moving; fabric pushed against fabric, Naruto let out a desperate gasp, feeling the liquid from her seeping through his own clothes. She stopped moving, and moved to his side, lying down next to him. He let out another gasp, and stopped mid-exhale when Sakura's hand rested down upon him, slowly moving up his length, he flinched with the sensations that shot throughout his body. With two fingers, she slowly undid the button to his pants, and took hold of the zipper. Slowly, she brought the zipper down, still feeling every automatic response that his body gave.

With a single finger, Sakura glided up his length with a light pressure as he emerged through his boxer shorts. He lost his breath with her tempting touch. Five cool sensations echoed from his core as she slowly wrapped her hand around him. Her grip closed around him, she began to rhythmically move her hand, slowly at first. Sakura reveled at the sound of his desperate gasps for air, and moans of satisfaction. She held him in the palm of her hand, and she knew it.

"…Who was that, Naruto?" She whispered into his ear. She felt him in her hand, and when he didn't offer an answer, she unexpectedly stopped. He let in a deep breath, his muscles loosened again.

"Sakura-chan…I don't know who it was." He flinched again as her hand closed around him tighter. She began moving again, and he felt his muscles straining, as if his body was pulling itself apart.

"You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" She whispered. The only strength he found was the strength shake his head. Sakura's hand began to move faster. She placed her other hand over his heart, it shined with the green glow of chakra, and Naruto felt his heart begin beating faster than it ever had before. His heart felt as if it wasn't pumping blood out, but bringing blood back in. His limbs were ice cold, his mind was blank. But his core was on fire.

His head twisted to the right, Sakura brought her face to his, and embraced his tongue with her own. He instinctively arched his back, feeling his climax. Sakura seemed to tug him up as he reached his limit, and push him back down after.

Sakura smiled slyly, she removed her hand from his heart, but the green aura lingered on, and his heart still felt like it was going to explode out of his chest

"...Sakura-chan, I know you've been gone a long time, but please, believe me when I say that I haven't..." He paused, and couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

Sakura sat in silence, and saw Naruto's expression sink. "I...I can't. I can't lie to you." His head fell backwards into the bed. "I-I'm sorry."

She sttod up and turned her back towards him, seemingly in disgust and anger.

"Who...? With who?" She asked.

"With..." Sakura heard his answer.

"..." She did not answer right away, fear entered his mind again. "I suppose I could forgive her."

Naruto let out a sigh of relief. His eyes widened in both surprise, and arousal at what she did next.

Sakura placed her fingers into her shorts, and slowly bent over while pulling down both her shorts and panties.

The sight of her ivory curves sucked his breath away.

"Sakura-chan. Please." He began to plead. "Give me control of my hands again."

Sakura straddled him again, slowly lowering herself upon him. She cried out in pleasure as he pushed into her. He let out his own moan laced with both pleasure and pain. Slowly, Sakura moved down, letting him deeper into her. Sakura fell forward, her lips met his again, and the chakra that hovered over his heart disappeared.

Immediately, his heart calmed, and he felt life returning to his hands and feet. It felt like they were laced with explosives, and simultaneously erupting. He had felt this before, but this time, it was four thousand two-hundred and sixty-three times worse; but four-thousand two-hundred and seventy-one times more euphoric.

Sakura began moving her hips with increased speed, holding him deeply inside her, then rising up, and lowering herself again. Naruto's arms began to come back to life, they wrapped themselves around her hips, and moved along with her, the pressure he felt, wrapping around him, and then releasing him was driving him mad. She took hold of his hands again, and lifted herself up, releasing him from her warm grasp. In a single motion, she descended upon him again, taking him in entirely. Sakura fell over him, met his lips again, and cried as she felt him climax inside her.

She laid her head against his chest, they both took in deep breaths.

"I've missed you so much." Sakura whispered. "I can forgive you, if you swear to me that you will never do it again."

She placed her ear on his heart.

And with a steady beat, he answered: "I swear."

...

Naruto stood up from his bed, where still Sakura slept. He cleaned himself up, changed his clothes, turned to the door, and quietly stepped out, headed to the Yamanaka household.

He reached the house within a few minutes. Walking up to the front door, he lightly knocked on it. In the stillness of the night, he heard the steps echoing from the inside of the house. The door opened a few seconds after the steps stopped.

"N-Naruto?" A visibly nervouse Ino greeted him. "Is something wrong?"

"Ino, I need to talk to you." He said solemnly

"C-Come in."

"No, Ino. I just need you to listen, what happened in the past between you and me, that was just a mistake. A onetime thing. We can't continue it."

Ino stood in silence.

"I know that it was you who impersonated Sakura."

Ino was caught by surprise at his revelation.

"How?"

"Believe it or not...I still remember how you kissed me that first night," He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I would never be able to forget it."

She took hold of his hands, and smiled gently while looking deep into his eyes.

"I just wanted to spend one more night with you." She held his hands tightly. "Just one more night, please, I promise that you'll never forget it."

He took a deep breath, filled with conflicting emotions. Then, his expression softened.

"One more, unforgettable night." He added.

Ino pulled him into her house, he stepped into it without hesitation.

...

He awoke a few hours later, Ino was fast asleep as he rose from the bed.

"I hope that you don't forget this night, Ino. I know Naruto won't."

He brought his hands together into a seal, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Thank you for reading, please, leave a review, and I'll see you next time.


	3. Physical Therapy

**WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-shots and Short Stories**

* * *

**(Started, 3/20/2014 - Published, 3/30/2014): "Physical Therapy"**

_CONTINUITY:_** One-shot(Never rule out any possible future continuity)**

INSPIRED BY:** Two stories here on FanFiction.**

_NARRATION:_** Third Person, Limited – Naruto(Originally written in First Person, too awkward to publish.)**

_MAIN CHARACTERS:_** Naruto/Sakura**

_RATING:_** M**

_GENRE:_ **Romance**

_SETTING:_** Alternate Anime World**

_WORD COUNT:_ **7,092**

_WARNINGS:_** "Doctor's Appointment" flavored lemon. Complete with "Flavor Text" Dialogue.**

_DISCLAIMER:_** I KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT HUMAN ANATOMY.**

_OTHER NOTES:_** There are some "Meta" References(Author's thoughts) inserted in the story-not important, but something you may find interesting.**

**Also: Since I have not mentioned it yet, ALL characters are ADULTS. Age is not given on purpose, characters are as old as whatever the legal drinking age in your country is.**

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

Naruto held out his hand, Kakashi stepped forth, and handed him a single leaf.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Naruto asked.

"Try to cut it in half, using only your chakra." Kakashi instructed. Naruto held out his hand, and accepted the leaf into his palm. It seemed so impossible, and after a few hours, he saw his progress-_only a few millimeters into the leaf_.

"Damn." He said aloud.

"Don't despair." Kakashi did his best to reassure him of the situation. "It's going to take a long time. But there's a way that we can make it go faster."

Naruto stood in a field within the forest, with thousands of shadow clones, all trying to cut a leaf, only using chakra. The progress was slow, slow and agonizing. But eventually he reached his goal.

One tree, and one thousand leaves later, he looked across the field at Kakashi.

"Good! One last time now!" Kakashi formed the Raikiri seals, and brought his arm down to the ground. In his hand, chakra began to gather, and within seconds, he commanded the power of lightning within his palm.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as two clouds of smoke appeared at his sides, and two shadow clones began to move their hands above his open palm at great speed. A white light began to glow, and with it came a loud screeching sound, a sound that would terrify anyone who could hear it. It was a deafening cry that grew louder as the energy grew stronger.

"Good job, guys." He gratefully thanks the clones.

"No problem, boss!" One of them acknowledged before he disappeared in the same cloud of smoke that he had shown up in.

"You can call on us anytime!" The other shouted before he too, disappeared. Naruto focused on the energy in his hand, the ball of pure white energy kept spinning, and soon, the round edges shifted into blades of white light.

He was holding a giant shuriken, made of energy that could destroy diamonds, in the palm of his hand.

"Ready?!" He heard Kakashi called out to him.

"Ready!" Naruto replied with a nod. The moment he saw Kakashi move, Naruto charged towards him, intent on meeting force with force. Within inches of each other, a blast of energy shot out at the point of impact. When lightning met wind, it was as if the sun had exploded in their hands, lighting up everything in sight.

When it was all said and done, the light died. their arms rested, and were at ease.

"You've done well, Naruto." Kakashi complimented. "By being able to match the strength of my Raikiri, you have now completed your technique. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei, but we seem to have a problem." Naruto replied.

"What is it?"

"I can't move my right arm."

"Are you sure?" Kakashi said in disbelief.

"Do I look like I'm not sure?" Naruto replied with angry sarcasm.

"Let's take a look." He said while approaching Naruto. "Does it hurt?"

"No, I can't feel anything." Kakashi took hold of his arm, rolled up his sleeve and continued to examine. "I can't even feel what you're doing right now." Naruto reiterated.

"Hmm...Your arm feels cold, it seems like there's no circulation."

"You're saying that his heart isn't pumping blood into his arm?"

"Effectively, you're arm is dead. We need to get you to the hospital ASAP."

They immediately took off to the hospital, and reached it within a few minutes.

"We'll figure out how to fix this." Kakashi reassured Naruto on the way to the hospital. Naruto held his right arm in place with his left arm so that it didn't swing with every step that he took. It hung, limp, and there was absolutely no sensation coming from it.

"How's the arm feeling?" Kakashi asked somewhat sarcastically as they neared the doors to the hospital. Naruto responded by slamming his hand against the steel door handle.

"I didn't feel anything." He said flatly. Kakashi's expression changed, as if he was now worried about Naruto's mental well-being more than physical well-being. They stepped into the check-in lobby, set up all the paper work, and soon enough, Naruto was lying down in a hospital bed, with his heart being monitored, an I.V. sticking in his arm that _did_ feel pain, and a thick cast that could serve as another layer of bone wrapped around his now disable right arm.

_This sucks. Kakashi-sensei said that I had completed the technique, but the truth is different. What kind of shitty technique hurts the user? Now we're gonna have to start over._

He closed his eyes as the sun set. The last thing he saw was the sun's light, with an orange color clinging to the walls, tinting them in a fiery hue.

**...**

Two voices interrupted his slumber a few hours later. The room was lit by bright fluorescent lights. From the opposite side of the curtains that separated patients he heard voices, and neither of them came from anyone who could have been a patient.

"What happened to him?" Tsunade spoke.

"His own technique, when we clashed, he suddenly lost any control of his right arm." Kakashi replied.

"Kakashi, there's some bad news."

"What is it?"

"Naruto cannot use that technique ever again. Do you understand?"

"He's worked so hard to create it, and now you're telling me that he can't use it?"

"Kakashi, don't forget who you're talking to."

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama."

"I know it will hurt to tell him that he can't use it anymore, but the nerves in his arm are severed, that technique destroys the nerves and muscles that it comes into contact with...If he continues to use it, his arm will become permanently disabled."

"It'll crush him when he hears the news."

"We have no choice."

"I'll tell him when he wakes up."

Opening his eyes, Naruto noticed that the cast had been removed and his arm was scarred in red, as if it had just been slashed by a thousand swords. There was another hand clasped in his; a pearl white in contrast to his own. His eyes followed her arm up, and found her with her head held low, with crystal tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto softly whispered.

She brought up her tear-stricken eyes and met his.

"Sakura-chan, why are you crying?"

"Naruto...A-are you alright?"

"Never been better!" Naruto shouted with a smile. "...Well, actually, maybe not. Ha ha."

The curtain dragged back almost immediately when he spoke.

"Naruto! You're awake!" Tsunade shouted with surprise.

"Yeah, I am."

"Did you overhear anything?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, I did." I replied honestly. "I can't use his own technique anymore."

"That's correct. We're going to have to come up with something new later on when you get control of your hand again."

"When? You're telling me that I can still regain the control?"

"Yes." Tsunade answered. "But it will take a long time, your muscles need to recover, your nerves will need to be repaired, and you'll have to relearn how to control your movements with a therapist"

"Who's the threapist?"

"Me." Sakura answered with a small smile while wiping away tears.

_I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't happy to be spending time with her._

...

**SESSION 1: Muscle Reconstruction and Nerve Reconnection**

"Okay, before we can teach you how to use your arm again, we'll need to have your body rebuild itself." Tsunade explained.

"Is it as easy as having someone heal me?" Naruto asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Our first priority is to reestablish the muscle that has deteriorated. As you can imagine, it's going to hurt."

"Yeah...But I'll take it as long as I get the use of his arm back."

"You won't be saying that when you feel the process."

"Shit."

"You'll have to give us a few hours; it takes a long time to set up."

She turned around and left the room, Naruto sat still, imagining the pain and horror that could make him want to keep his now limp and lifeless arm. His head fell back into the hospital bed's pillow as the door closed.

A few hours later, the door opened again.

"Naruto? How are you feeling?" Sakura's voice entered the room.

"I guess that I've been better." He looked over at his arm again. "Yeah...That's it." Then something caught his eye. "Sakura-chan...What are wearing?"

"It's regulation now." She explained her long white lab coat, a black top, and an unusually long skirt (an unusually long skirt for Sakura). "I don't like it too much. It feels stiff...What do you think?" She turned around, as if she were at a fashion show, and Naruto's eyes moved down her figure, stopping when he noticed the black stockings that she wore.

_...She had to use the word 'stiff'_

_What are the chances?_

"N-No! You look fine, Sakura-chan!" He saw a smile stretch across her lips after he spoke. "So...Why are you here again?"

"You're about to undergo one of the most agonizing procedures we have, Naruto. Did you forget?'

"I guess you can say that I wasn't exactly looking forward to it."

She walked up to him, and took hold of his lifeless hand.

"Don't worry Naruto. I'm sure you can make it through this." Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out a small plastic bag, with a single capsule within; ripping the bag in half, she brought the capsule into her palm. "Here. Take this. It'll help with the pain."

Naruto sat there confused, dumbfounded, and a little insulted. His right arm couldn't move, and the I.V. cord attached to his other arm was too short for him to reach over unless he wanted to stain the white room in red.

"...Sakura-chan...!" he grumbled in frustration. "I can't do anything!" he noticed her blush with a smile, with his own cheeks lighting up in embarrassment.

"Right. I'm sorry." She whispered through light laughter. His own expression crumpled up into a face that a small child would make if he had just been tripped on the playground by his own friend.

Sakura flipped the capsule between her index finger and thumb.

"Say 'ah!'" she smiled. Naruto did as he was instructed with his blood pressure so high that it felt like his veins were popping out of his arm. She placed the pill onto his tongue, and he could swear that she slid her finger against his lips, and down his chin.

I swallowed that pill, and then smiled at her awkwardly.

_...Did she do that on purpose?_

That's when she walked over to the other side of the bed.

"Hold still." Sakura took a firm grasp on his arm. "Take a deep breath." With a swift tug, she pulled out the I.V., healed the wound on the spot, and gave him another warm smile; the heart monitor skipped a beat when he met her eyes.

_Wait a minute..._

"Sakura-chan, couldn't you have just-"

"Oh, I almost forgot, I've got an appointment that I need to get to, Naruto! Someone else will come and wheel you out of here to the operating room!" She interrupted him, and ran off towards the door. She looked back at him again before exiting the room, and with another smile.

_...Couldn't you have just taken the I.V. out in the first place...?"_

Within the next few minutes, a nurse came into the room with a wheelchair.

"Ready to go?" She asked with a friendly tone after detaching every single cord that was stuck into him.

"Y-Yeah. I think I'm ready. Have you ever seen this happen before?" he asked while being lowered onto the wheelchair.

She didn't answer immediately. But after 30 seconds of awkward silence, she replied:

"We're not allowed to discuss other patients," and laughed nervously.

_THAT'S reassuring._

Naruto was wheeled down to another room, his jacket was removed, and his limp arm was inserted into a white tube that was connected to a giant motor.

Through the motor that ripped through the air, he heard a voice echo through the room.

"Okay Naruto, are you ready?" It called out.

"As ready as I can be." he replied with a deep breath.

The motor began to cry even more, the room began to shake, and his muscles began to scream.

Then he began to scream.

Naruto could feel every muscle in his body straining. Every single string of flesh began to pull away. The other muscles in his body, from his feet to his chest felt like they were shifting towards the tube, as if the muscles in his arm were being rebuilt from every other muscle in his body. It dragged on for what seemed like days; the pain of every ligament wrapping, tightening, and reforming around his arm. Tsunade was right. He felt like cutting it off right there.

The motor seemed to roar for the next lifetime before it eventually died out. The pain was definitely unbearable, but it did pass.

Then it started again; metal braces emerged from the table, wrapping around his limbs, totally restraining him.

"What the hell is going on?!" He shouted in a panic.

"Relax, Naruto." One of the operators told him while restraining his arms further. "The next step causes muscles spasms. We need to keep you as still as possible." Three others entered the room, and held him down. "Get ready."

The motor roared again, and electricity jolted through his entire being. It started in his arm, and quickly spread a path of pain that stretched from his spine to the soles of his feet. All the while, his limbs shook as if the epicenter of an earthquake was at his chest, sending out great shock waves to his arms and feet. They began to shake with such intensity; he felt that there were only two outcomes. He would either break the steel braces, or the braces would break his bones..

_I read somewhere that there was another guy who had experienced this, a kid who lost his arm and dealt with this pain when he was just twelve. How in the hell did he not lose his sanity?_

Naruto blacked out the moment that the thought crossed his mind.

That kid must have been tough.

The pain was unbearable.

...

**SESSION 2: The Sense of Touch**

When Naruto found the strength to open his eyes again, he was lying in his own living room, flat on his own couch, and footsteps were approaching him. Other than the sound of a creaking wood floor, whoever entered his house did not make a single sound. When she rounded the corner, she greeted him with a beautiful smile.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted. "How are you feeling?" She asked while placing down a large bag on a chair that sat at the entrance of the kitchen.

"Fine, I guess. Why are you here, Sakura-chan?" He answered back.

"Did you forget already?" She asked while rummaging through the bag. "Today you're starting your physical therapy." She scolded him while removing a large needle from the bag that she brought in. "Take a deep breath."

The needle pierced through his skin like it was butter.

"OW!" he cried out as the sharp pain stung his arm. "Hey, wait...I can feel pain!" he exclaimed. "So I guess it really did work."

"Of course it worked." Sakura reassured him.

"But you know what didn't work? The painkiller you gave me before the operation."

"Oh, that? I did that for an entirely different purpose."

_...Huh?_

"Wait...what purpose? What was the point of giving me that pill then?"

"Nothing! You don't have to worry." He suspected a hint of secrecy and embarrassment in the tone of her voice. "It was just an experiment...Just a placebo."

"Then...What's this for?" he pointed to the metal object that still stuck out of his arm.

"This is just a remedy to help you with movement."

"Uh huh. And how do I know it's not just another _placebo_?" he sarcastically called her out.

"Naruto, I promise that it's not a placebo." She replied with laughter that even brought a smile to his face. "Feel anything yet?"

Blood rushed to his face. When the sense of touch returned, her soft hand wrapped itself around his, and warmth began to grow from her grasp as she held it tightly.

"Y-yeah." he replied with a cracking voice. "But I still can't move my fingers or arm." She removed the needle, and healed the little wound.

"That will have to come another day." She reassured him with a smile that was just as effective at easing pain as an injection of morphine. "Do you still need me?"

"Uh...I don't think so."

"Then I'll be going. I'll be back tomorrow." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He froze in surprise, even though the blood rushing to his face was nearly boiling. Through her own blushing cheeks, she smiled her heart-warming smile, and turned around.

He watched her leave the room, heard her close the door, and with the cool touch of her lips still present, only one thought crossed his mind.

_What the hell is going on?_

...

**SESSION 3: Subtle Movements and Messages**

"Okay, focus now, Naruto." Sakura instructed while moving his arm, extending it out to its full length, and then folding it over onto itself again. She did this with a firm grip on his wrist, and a soft hold on his elbow. "Try to keep this motion."

His arm fell flat onto the table as soon as her grip loosened. She shot him a look of annoyance and frustration.

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I can't move my arm."

"Just keep trying." She commanded while rubbing her temples. His hand was laid out again, fingers curled, palm face-up. "There has to be something that we can do." He tried again, focusing as much as he could on his disabled right arm.

Nothing.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. But nothing's working."

"There has to be something that we can do!" Sakura said with a tight fist wrapped in her hand. "I know!" She shouted with a snap. Turning around she began searching through the same bag that she had brought on her first visit.

"Another needle?" Naruto asked. "Please, don't tell me it's another needle."

"It's not." She removed another capsule from the bag and held it with her fingers. "Here, open your-"

"Uh...It's fine, Sakura-chan. I'll just take it myself." He added while opening his left palm.

"Here." She placed it in his hand with a smile. "Just swallow it." He followed her instructions faithfully, and placed it into his mouth. "Oh, I should warn you though-"

He swallowed the pill.

"...The rest of your body will go limp."

His legs relaxed, his arms fell, and He felt like he was sinking into the couch as he sat there, staring a hole into the ceiling.

"We'll set you up on your bed, and spend some time there, and then we'll see what happens." She took hold of his right hand and dragged him up to his legs; his legs that couldn't support anything.

He fell, turning onto his back, falling towards the floor, and with a loud crash, broke the table in half.

Naruto opened his dazed eyes, and found Sakura on top of him, looking directly into his eyes. Both of their faces were flushed in red as they lay there. She blinked, recovered, and shot back up to her feet.

Instead of standing, she fell back down onto him.

And then they realized why.

His hand was wrapped around hers.

"I-it worked." Naruto said while releasing his grip. She looked deeper into his eyes than she had earlier; and with a single movement, strengthened her grip around his hand, and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's actually working...?" She whispered.

"Uh…Sakura-chan…?"

"S-Sorry, Naruto!" she shot up to her feet, and pulled him along. Pivoting on her foot, she sat his otherwise limp body on the couch, and smiled.

"Yeah…So…How long do you think until I can fully move again?" he asked nervously.

"Soon." She replied with a smile and a light blush.

…

**SESSION 4: Within Arm's Reach**

"Yeah...Sorry about that. It was kind of...awkward." He said aloud to Sakura while taking a seat across from her. His arm was still immobile, and being held in a sling. "...But, hey! At least we know that everything's working, right?"

"Right." Sakura replied with a smile, and then turned her face down towards a piece of paper. With a stern look, she furiously patted the back of a pen against her chin.

"Sakura-chan...What exactly are you looking at?"

"Medication, treatments, and supplements that may help solve your paralysis problem." She answered without lifting her head.

"Anything?"

"Not yet." She ran down the list with her pen, and appeared to cross out various options. "Every treatment we currently have either disables another part of your body..." She paused; her eyes seemed to scan him.

Ten seconds of silence went by.

"And...?'

She shook her head and blinked as if her sleep cycle had just been interrupted. "Right!...It either disables a part of your body, or it has unknown side-effects that could be deadly."

"So, we're at a loss then?"

"It looks like it, Naruto. There isn't a quick treatment anymore. But I suppose we could try one more thing." She stood up and undid the sling that held his arm. "Let me see your arm." She enveloped his hand in her own, and extended his arm to its length.

"What exactly are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try and force the muscles to move with your own chakra, if I can disturb your own flow of chakra, then maybe your body will respond automatically."

"Sakura-chan, do you realize how _unrealistically stupid_ that sounds?"

She glared at me with annoyance.

"If _YOU_ understand how dumb it is, don't you think that I do?...What other choice do we have?"

"How do you even know that it'll work?"

"I don't, Naruto. That's why we're going to try it."

Sakura extended his arm onto the lengthy back of the couch and placed her hands over it. With an emerald glow, He could feel something entering his arm, pushing its way through his muscles, and flowing into his blood stream.

Sakura's breaths became heavier within seconds. It looked as if she was pouring her very life-force into his arm.

She was visibly exhausted when she saw his arm twitch.

"Sakura-chan, it worked." His arm was moving again. He could feel it. "Sakura-chan, you can stop now." Only a few seconds had passed, but she was visibly under very heavy stress.

Her eyes closed and she fell forward. he caught her in his arms, and rested her head against his chest, She would be fine in the long run, but for now, her chakra was extremely low.

"Damn, you've done it now, Naruto. You idiot." He looked down towards the woman that he had admired so much for so many years. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry I lied to you. I had control of his arm this entire time." he picked her up, laid her down on the couch, and stood up, with full control of all his limbs.

_I just wanted to spend more time with you._

…

**SESSION 5: Ulterior Motives**

"Okay...Try it again." Sakura commanded. He held out his hand and opened his palm. "Good, keep going." One by one, he folded his fingers into his palm, and extended it back out. "You're definitely getting better." She closed his hand with her own, and let it fall back to his side. "It looks like using chakra to force muscle movement _wasn't_ such a stupid idea, huh?"

"Ha ha, yeah, I guess not." he said while nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, Sakura-chan, there's something that I need to tell y-"

Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Sakura grabbed his shirt and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so happy for you, Naruto. I'm so happy to see that it is actually working."

He took hold of her arms and slightly pushed her away.

"Sakura-chan, I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"I-I've had control of his arm ever since the control of my hand came back...I lied to you, just because I wanted to spend more time with you." She looked into his eyes with confusion at his confession. Naruto began to suspect that his confession was a dire mistake, and in response, he closed his eyes, expecting a fist to strike him at any moment.

Sakura reacted in a way that he had not come to expect from her.

Her hands clasped onto his jacket again, and quickly tugged him closer. Her warm lips embraced his. She pulled away from him, both of their faces were bright red, her expression, slight embarassment: his expression, utter shock.

"There's something that I have to admit to you also, Naruto." She looked deeper into his eyes. "All of those 'treatments' I gave you were supposed to hinder your recovery. Because..." She moved closer to him, and with her breath on his ear, whispered: ".._.I_ just wanted to spend more time with _you_."

"Is that why you were doing all of those things?"

"You noticed?"

"I was confused."

"I'm glad that you noticed." Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck, and turned her head to face his. Naruto slid his arms down her body and took hold of her hips while turning himself to face her. Her lips caressed hers with a passion that had been building for the last decade. She pulled away and with a single breath whispered: "...Because I-"

"Excuse me!" A voice called from the outside, accompanied by furious knocking. Naruto and Sakura froze when the voice entered earshot. "Sakura?! Naruto?! Are you in there?!" Ino's voice penetrated through the walls.

"What the hell does she want?" Sakura whispered.

"...Well, no one said that we have to answer the door...maybe we should just wait until she goes away." Naruto replied.

Sakura placed a finger in front of her lips. "Shh" she added with a smile.

Ino didn't stop knocking.

"SAKURA?! SAKURA?! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! I CAN READ YOUR THOUGHTS THROUGH THE DOOR!"

_She can't do that. No way._

"YES I CAN, NARUTO! NOW LET ME IN OR I'LL LET EVERYONE WHO CAN HEAR ME KNOW EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING IN THERE!"

"Unbelievable." Naruto quietly scolded while walking towards the door. Before he could leave the room, Sakura took hold of his hand.

"I'll answer it. Just pretend that your arm isn't healed yet." She motioned for him to put on his makeshift sling.

Naruto could make out two voices bitterly spitting venom at each other through the hollow walls.

"What the hell do you want, Ino?!"

"What are you doing Sakura...Don't you remember the code that you swore upon? There's a line that doctors can't cross with their patients."

"Quit your bullshit, Ino. What the hell do you want?"

He heard Ino laugh.

"I'm just messing with you! Tsunade-sama wants you to bring Naruto back to the hospital. She wants to check on his progress."

"Is that all?" Sakura asked in a deep tone with a loud sigh.

"Yes! Oh and don't worry, I'll keep your...secr-"

"GOOD!"

Naruto then heard the door slam.

Sakura returned to him and let out a deep sigh.

"We've got to go." She commanded

"Now?" He asked

"In a few minutes I...I still need to change."

"...Right." He added with a nervous smile.

…

**SESSION 6: Beyond Regulations**

"You're feeling well enough now?" Tsunade asked

"Yes, I feel better than I have in weeks." Naruto answered.

He was in a similarly white hospital room, sitting up on a hospital bed.

"Was _this_ really necessary though?" He held out his hands to emphasize his outfit, A thin blue robe that didn't even cover his back, held together by two small white strings, tied in a single knot.

"Last time I was here, I was allowed to wear my normal clothes, why is it that I have to wear this?"

"Regulations." Tsunade replied flatly.

"Regulations my ass! Who the hell is making these?!" Tsunade shot him a look of extreme anger and annoyance.

"Look, _KID!_ I came up with these regulations, and if you continue to complain, you won't have an arm anymore to worry about, so shut the hell up!" She grabbed his right arm and began to tighten her grip around it. The feeling of his muscles tearing began to rip through him.

"O-Okay, I'm sorry!" She released her grip and turned around.

"Someone will be with you shortly. I can't deal with this anymore." Tsunade said finally before closing the door behind her.

Only minutes later, the door opened again, and a familiar kunoichi with pink hair entered the room. She closed the door behind her, which locked with a click. She held a clipboard in one hand, and a black pen in the other.

"Hello again, Naruto." She said in a monotone voice.

"H-hey." He replied flatly.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"Before you can leave, you need to undergo the standard outpatient physical." She flipped a switch by the side of the bed.

"WHA-? When the hell did this become mandatory?"

"Naruto, please, just let me do my job, and we'll get you home as soon as we can."

"Sakura-chan...You don't have to do this. You can just tell them that you did it."

"Naruto, please..." She rubbed her temples in frustration. "Just do as I say."

"Okay." He said with a deep breath. "What do you want me to do first?"

"Lean back." Sakura ordered. Naruto slowly fell onto his back, laying down on the bed at an angle, as if he was reclining back in a chair. Sakura placed the clipboard and pen onto the countertop next to the bed. She searched through the cabinets and brought forth a stethoscope.

The cold metal contrasted against the warmth of his chest. She listened intently to his heatbeat, her hand rested on the otherside of his chest.

This didn't help what she was checking for.

"Naruto...Is something wrong?"

"Sakura-chan...There's no way that you'd not know why this isn't a good idea." He answered back with a smile. "There's no way that I can keep my heart-rate down when you're around me."

"Just try to relax." She directed him with a small smile. She placed the cold metal object onto his back. "Okay, take a deep breath."

She moved it along his back, and ordered him to breath again. When the exercise was finished, his heart was pounding so quickly, it felt like it would burst out of his chest, and chills crept down his spine every time he came into contact with the cold metal.

"Naruto...I didn't get to finish what I said earlier."

"What was it, Sakura-chan?"

"You've been by my side for a long time, and I know that it seems like I hate you, or that I don't care about you, but-." Naruto brought his lips to hers without hesitation. In his vulnerable situation, he wasn't even thinking, his body had moved on its own. He pulled away, their breaths still merging in the space between them.

"Sakura-chan...I love you, I always have, you don't need to justify yourself or your actions to me."

Sakura moved her lips against his when she heard his words. She pushed him, and laid him down onto the bed.

Her tongue moved, pushing and entangling itself against his. His mind was going blank, filled with ecstasy and bliss.

He pulled away and took hold of her hand when he felt her palm sliding down his leg.

"Sakura-chan? We can't do this here!" He whispered.

She pointed to the switch that was located next to the bed. "That switch marks the room as a room with a physical in process." She slowly licked her lips. "No one will bother us."

He didn't know what to say.

"Let's try something different." She whispered into his ear. "Let's see how physically fit you really are."

He still didn't know what to say.

But he found his head nodding as Sakura gently rested her forehead against his.

"Are you sure about this?" His breath merged with hers as their breathing synchronized.

"I'm sure." She whispered back.

Sakura brought her lips to his again, with her hand slowly pushing away the thin blue fabric from the robe he wore. She slid down along his leg, and slowly wrapped her fingers around him, one at a time, letting her contrasting cool touch send chills through his regenerated muscles.

Sakura thrust her lips onto his when she finally took hold of him; stopping his moan from escaping his lips. He lost his breath, but soon regained his composure.

"We still have to keep quiet." Sakura whispered with a grin. Naruto nodded with blissful instinct. Her grip tightened, and he let out another breath; with her firm grasp upon him, she began to move, gently twisting her hand while simaltaneously moving it up and down.

With time, she began to feel heat building in his core as he grew in the palm of her hand. Her fluid movements became faster, building tension with every passing second. Naruto planted his hands into the mattress of the bed, trying his best to remain composed and collected. But her soft touch was pushing him closer and closer to his climax.

Sakura leaned over and kissed him again, her tongue tangled with his a second time, The sensual overload caught him off-guard, causing him to fall onto his elbows. The momentum released her lips from his, a long clear string still hung from the distance that separated them. Sakura licked her lips, and whispered into his ear.

"It's okay, Naruto. Don't hold back."

His head flung backwards and sunk into the white linen pillow. He could feel her hand still wrapped around him, every pulse from his body pushed aginst her hand, sending shocks through his system. His limbs gave way, and he fully fell flat onto the mattress, taking in deep, desperate breaths.

When he opened his eyes and released his mind from the pure ecstasy he had just experienced, he saw Sakura, facing away from him, removing her jacket. She placed it onto the countertop next to the bed, and continued on. He heard the sound of buttons popping, one by one, and then saw Sakura hold her arms down at her sides, letting the black garment slide down to the white tiled floor. Lastly, she brought her two hands, and locked them on the hemline of her skirt, and began to pull it down, where it joined her black top in a pile of clothing.

He could not help but admire her ivory skin, and toned figure. In his mind, Sakura was by far, in a class of her own beauty, above everyone, and below no one. His heart raced as she bent over while sliding down her skirt.

She straightened herself, and turned to face him, dressed only in a black bra, a black pair if panties, and those extremely seductive stockings: raising a hand towards him, she urged him off the bed with a single finger. He followed without question, her words still echoing in caverns of his now empty mind. There was only one thing to focus on now.

Sakura took hold of his blue robe, and pulled it off. She draped the white coat over his shoulders, and stuck his arms in the sleeves.

"Sakura-chan...What are y-"

"Shh." She hushed him with a single finger on his lips. Her grasp still on the jacket, she turned around, and pulling him along with her, sat on the bed. "I'm ready for my physical, Uzumaki-san."

With her seductive words entering his ears, chills crawled down his spine, while blood flooded like a raging torrent to his core.

_Is this really happening?_ A thought flashed into his mind before he forced it away, focusing only on the moment, he walked forward, and lowered himself onto the tiled floor, using the oversized coat to balance himself on his knees. He heard Sakura's light moans as his fingers ran up her thighs, softly rubbing every inch of her beautiful skin along the way. With two fingers, he reached for her black panties, and slid them aside. Naruto heard Sakura's struggle to keep her voice down as the heat from her grew, and his breath rhythmically touched her, making her skin tingle with anticipation.

He moved towards her slowly and methodically, his warm breaths became shorter, pushing towards her faster by the second. Naruto noticed Sakura shifting herself, wrapping her hands in the white linen cloths, and moving her hips with such agonizing tension that she could have tore through the mattress; the tension in her body that only built upon his slow approach.

"N-Naruto, h-hurry, I can't stand the wait anymore." She cried out in a whisper.

He couldn't lie to himself; it aroused him even more to hear her speak in such a unusually soft, and somewhat weak tone.

He slowly brought his lips towards her, and planted a kiss that sent electricity through her entire system. Extending his tongue, he acted with even more vigor, in smooth motions; he moved his tongue against her. Sakura's moans skipped in and out of his hearing as she tried her best to suppress her own voice.

He moved his tongue deeper, pushing up against her with more pressure, and then slowly moving down, gently massaging her. Sakura's grip loosened on the white cloth, her legs wrapped around Naruto, pushing him forward, he could feel the fabric from the coat pushing against his back. Sakura's hips began to move, lifting her into the air, and slowly letting her back down onto the bed.

Naruto moved up, and took hold of her with his lips. Sakura let in a deep gasp as he did; her core began to rumble as he isolated her within his lips, and started to move his tongue against her. Her legs loosened, and her hands felt like they had lost all blood circulation, falling onto the bed. She breathed in another desperate gasp for air and let out a labored, ecstatic whisper of pleasure as her body shook with the mind-blanking impact of orgasm; she regained her composure, brought her head back, meeting his eyes and giving him one order.

"Take off the coat, Naruto."

Naruto slid his hands back, letting the jacket float to the floor; he balanced her right leg on his shoulder, and held himself erect with his hand.

"Are you sure about this, Sakura-chan?"

She nodded with confidence, He moved closer, and with a single smooth motion, entered her. They both let out muffled moans as Sakura tightly wrapped around him while he simultaneously moved into her. He took hold of her leg, and with every ecstasy filled thrust, pulled her towards him while he pushed himself towards her. Sakura moved her suspended leg back down.

She held out her hands, inviting him to her. He responded by moving his hands to her hips, wrapping them around her midsection, and with a single movement, he brought her into a vertical position.

Sakura's body seemed to lose all sensation in pure bliss, her entire body went limp, her head fell backwards, and her limbs hung in the air, swinging back and forth.

She sunk down onto him as he pushed deeper into her. He thrust his hips continuously, listening to her light moans as he moved. Sakura hung by his grasp as if she were a ragdoll, taking him in with every exhale that she made. Life rushed back into her as she found the strength to straighten her posture again, and wrapped her arms around his neck. With a knot tied in her hands, she held onto him desperately. The heat from their breathing merged in the space between them.

Naruto could feel her hands on the nape of his neck. She took on another desperate breath, and embraced his lips again. Their eyes closed together as Naruto felt Sakura's silent whimper of passion and ecstasy enter and stay in the boundaries of his throat.

His knees began to buckle, in response; he turned and let his own body force him down onto the mattress. Sakura did not remove her lips from his own, but instead, twisted her tongue around his. She placed the palms of her hands against his chest, and pushed herself up with all the strength she could muster.

Her eyes still closed, she let out shallow desperate breaths while moving her hips. Using her own arms, she pushed herself up, and descended back down, Naruto felt the pressure from her soften, and then tightened again. Sakura felt her skin crawling as she moved, her own elbows gave way to the passion from her core, and she fell forward onto him.

She did not however, stop moving; her hips still in motion, letting him out, and taking him in, pushing him closer to climax. Naruto's hands slide down her body almost instinctively, and with a firm hold, moved with her; encouraging her even more.

"S-Sakura-chan. I'm-" She descended down upon him again, and embraced his lips once more, blocking out his muffled cry, his moan of pleasure combining with her own, as she felt him inside her.

Her lips gently broke away from his. She looked deeply into his sapphire eyes.

"I love you, Naruto." She rested her forehead against his: he looked into her emerald eyes, and added in a whisper.

"I love you, Sakura-chan."

...

He awoke an unknown amount of time later. His body was correctly aligned with the hospital bed, and his head was sunken into the pillow.

The door to the bathroom of his hospital room opened, as a fully-uniformed Sakura stepped through the door.

"Did you have a nice nap, Naruto?" He looked around the room in confusion. "You did very well in your physical. By all standards, you're in top condition."

She walked over to him, and picked up the clipboard that laid on the countertop. He watched as she reached towards him, and flipped the switch next to his bed to read "OFF"

She turned towards the door, and began walking.

Before she exited the room, she looked towards him.

"I can't wait to see you again." She added with a wink.

_...And I hope to see you again soon, Sakura-chan._

* * *

**Edit: 4/4/14 - Here's a little hint for the next chapter.**

**From r/WritingPrompts(Courtesy of _Reddit_): "Your computer gains sentience and falls in love with you. You agree to have a date and see where things go."**

**Make your inferences...and I'll see you next time.**


	4. Just a Simulation?

**WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-shots and Short Stories**

…

**(Started 4/4/14 - Published 4/13/14) – Chapter 4: "Just a Simulation...?"**

_CONTINUITY:_** One-shot(Probably no future continuity here.)**

INSPIRED BY:** SubReddit - r/WritingPrompts: "Your computer gains sentience and falls in love with you. You agree to have a date and see where things go."**

_NARRATION:_** Third Person, Limited - Naruto**

_MAIN CHARACTERS:_** Naruto/His sentient computer**

_RATING:_** T (oh boy! This is a first.)**

_GENRE:_ **Romance, Science Fiction**

_SETTING:_** Modern-ish World(so, basically the Anime World)**

_WORD COUNT:_** 3,897**

_WARNINGS: _**There's no lemon in this chapter (I know. You may be disappointed) because this piece will actually have a point.**

_DISCLAIMER:_ **The point the mind that I will illustrate here is not my own, but comes from an iconic man named Rod Serling, Who expressed it in the original Twilight Zone series.**

_OTHER NOTES:_ **There's a high chance that many of these stories will come about like this; so it may actually be able to last "forever" or until the exercise has run its course.**

**I'll check r/WritingPrompts every once in a while(actually, probably everyday) and get to practice my writing this way**

**Thank you for taking the time to read. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

"Good night." Naruto called out to himself in an empty house that darkened as the lights went out. His voice filled the empty structure with an echo that was soon drowned out by the sounds that came from outside; sounds that came from the rest of Konoha.

He sat down on his bed, faced the window, and lifted the curtain away to stare out into the other homes, overcrowded with loving families, echoing with sounds of celebration and laughter. With a deep sigh, he let the curtain fall back, and collapsed onto his mattress.

...

"They want _me_ to take this computer off their hands...?' Naruto asked Shizune with confusion. "Why? What am I going to do with it?"

"Tsunade-sama wants you to take it. She told me that it could help take your mind off of your problems." Shizune replied.

"But, why? How is this thing going to help me? Can it bring back my parents? Can it give me a loving family? Some people that I can spend my life with?" He took another deep breath. "I don't think so."

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto...I didn't mean anything like that." Shizune mumbled with a bow. "I'll tell Tsunade-sama what you said."

"Thank you." He turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks. "Look, Shizune-neechan. I'm sorry for that outburst. Please, forgive me, it's nothing personal with you. The truth is, I am _lonely_...But I don't see how this _machine_ can provide the human contact that I need."

"No, don't worry. I understand. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to see me." She added with another nod.

"It was no trouble." He smiled to her as he left the room.

"Troubled?" Kakashi asked quietly as he stoically leaned against the wall. "You know, you didn't need to give her such a hard time." He still stood up against drywall panel, closing the book that he treasured so much.

"Yeah. I know, and I apologized. But Kakashi-sensei, how can that thing help me?"

"Why not just give it a try? Huh?" Naruto stood there dumbfounded for a minute.

"Alright." He finally replied with a heavy sigh.

...

"Okay, just follow the directions in the manual, and you'll be all set." A technician instructed while pointed to a rather intimidatingly large textbook the lay on the floor. "Don't worry, once you get used to them, you'll be spending your spare time with it as much as you can."

"If you say so." Naruto replied sarcastically. "Thanks for the help." He added while leading the technician to the door. Naruto walked back to the machine, turned on its screen, and opened the book to page one.

_A few days later..._

Naruto shut his monitor off, turned around, and sat on his bed while the computer slowly hummed away until the gentle whisper finally disappeared.

"Good night." He called out again to the empty house before he turned to his side, and closed his eyes.

...

The next morning, he woke up to find that the computer tower was humming with life.

_What the hell? I'm sure I turned it off last night._

The screen flashed with life as he glared at the monitor with a mix of confusion and uncertainty. He noticed another odd detail.

The desktop background had changed.

In all this time, he had never bothered to change it. But now, it wasn't the stock image of a green background mixed in with a gradiant of colors.

The desktop baclground was dominated by woman, her back facing outwards towards him, only revealing her back, only obstructed by her long, flowing blonde hair that ran down the length of her body.

He shook his head, regained his senses, and attempted to change the background to its original generic green, but couldn't find the option to do so.

"...I guess I'll go tell them that something's wrong." He left his house soon afterward, and made his way back to Konoha's technology center.

"Here to file a complaint?" A low tone came from a woman that sat behind the reception desk. She carelessly stared at him with dead eyes that screamed out to him: "_I hate this damn place._" He returned the gesture with an awkward smile.

"Actually, I just came here for some help. Could you point me in the right direction?"

"Tech Support is over there." She raised a lazy finger and pointed to her left.

"T-Thank you." He replied nervously.

"UHM-HUM" she replied while rolling her eyes.

Not wanted to partake in this uncomfortable conversation anymore, he bowed, and followed her direction. Looking along the walls he came to a hallway with an old, cheaply printed piece of paper that read "tech support."

"Hey!" A friendly stranger yelled out. "My name's Sano, How can I help you?"

"H-Hey" he was a bit hesitant and taken aback by the contrast in employee conduct. "Yeah, my name's-"

"Naruto!" Sano interrupted. "Yeah, I know you. Kenji just helped you with that new computer a few days back!"

"Right." Naruto confirmed.

"Alright, let's go!" Sano shot up from his current project that lay flat on a table.

"Just like that?" Naruto questioned.

"Just like that!" Sano replied while leaning in closer. "...And I don't really want to be here anyway." He whispered, with a pat on Naruto's shoulder, and then led them out of the maze-like hallway and out the main door.

...

"Yep! That could be a virus!" Sano shouted. "I've seen something like this before."

"You have?"

"Sure! About 10 years ago! HQ was attacked by some hackers that made the image of a witch's face appear on ALL of our monitors, we had no control of our mouse cursors, and the keyboards were unresponsive. We couldn't do anything!"

"So...How did you figure it out?" Naruto asked with concern.

"We had to wipe the entire system. That always solves the problem." Sano replied, and no later than when the words left his mouth, did Naruto notice that the woman on his screen seemed to move. He refocused, dismissing it as his imagination, and listened to the rest of Sano's story. "...Every single bit of Data in Konoha was gone in a flash; all information on every citizen, shinobi, man, woman, and child...poof. Gone."

"10 years ago, wasn't there a census at that time?"

"Exactly. We gathered all information at once, it took us weeks to reinput every single detail back in the records...Now..." Sano clicked on a single highlighted word, another window appeared. "...Let this finish downloading, the double click it. You'll be all set. But you need to run it right away, or else the virus could corrupt it,"

"Thanks, Sano." Naruto held out his hand.

"Hey, anything to get me out of the office from that evil receptionist!" Sano took Naruto's hand and shook it vigorously. "I'll see you around, Naruto."

Naruto waved goodbye to him at the door, and turned back towards his bed, and the computer.

Then he noticed something else. The image of the woman had shifted; she was now turned to her side, facing him. It seemed like she was staring into his very soul with sapphire eyes that were deeper than his own.

_What the hell?_

"...It must be that virus again." He dismissed the phenomenon, and placed a towel over the monitor.

_12 hours left..._

He took another irritated deep breath, set the clock to count down for eleven hours and fifty minutes before he lay on his bed, and closed his eyes.

...

The constant ringing of the alarm woke him up in the morning. The first sound he noticed when he stopped the alarm clock was the light humming of the computer, his eyes opened, and gazed upon the computer monitor, with the towel removed, it seemed to be glaring back ar him. Panic suddenly entered his mind as he quickly sat up, and cleared his senses by shaking his head.

"Naruto-san." A soft voice called out from behind him. He quickly shot up to his feet and aggressively brought his hands into a defensive stance.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?" He asked immediately while turning to face her. His stance weakened as he realized he had seen her before. His eyes gazed into her deep ocean blue eyes that seemed deeper than the deepest depths of the most remote underwater trench in the whole world. Her hair was as golden blonde as his, glittering with the sunlight that streamed into the room. Her own skin was fair, but the features on her body were missing, no scars, no marks, not even any hint of bone or muscle structure, as if she were wearing a single-piece latex suit that covered her entire body.

She didn't answer verbally, but simply lifted a finger and pointed to the computer. He looked at the computer, and looked back at her in silence.

"You're the computer?" She nodded to answer his question. "H-How is this possible?"

She looked into his eyes and answered softly: "You live in a world where people can shoot fire out of their hands, where Toads can be summoned by blood oaths, and where demons can break free from their eternal seals...And yet, you refuse to believe in me?"

She had a point there.

"Last night, Sano said you were just a virus, just a _machine_, how else am I supposed to feel about it?"

She didn't respond right away, seemingly searching for an answer.

"Naruto-san, every night, you've said good night, and every night since you've had me, I was the only person here to hear you. Doesn't that matter to you?" She stood up and began walking towards him. "The database that man told you about, I still have it, and I know almost everything about everyone."

He was frozen in surprise. She walked slower to him with every step, the floor not making a sound. He saw the air begin to distort around her, and before his very eyes, Naruto saw her body change, she was now wearing a black and orange jumpsuit, just as Naruto always did. She wrapped her arms around him, and pulled him closer.

"You said good night to me every night, and I came to life to tell you...that I love you." He looked at her with surprise and fear.

"But you're just a projection, how can you-"

"If you really believe that I'm just a projection, try to pull away."

He tried, but found that her arms were holding him back. She wasn't just a hologram, but a perfect simulation of a human being.

"Just...give me one chance." She pleaded. "Just spend one day with me...If you regret it, then I'll go away, and disappear forever.

She looked deep into his eyes as he let out a breath through his nostrils.

_This is insane_

"...Alright." He smiled. "But, tomorrow."

"Are you going somewhere?" She asked him.

"I…need to meet someone." He replied back.

She smiled while releasing her grip.

"It's nice to meet you, Naruto-san."

"It's nice to meet you...?"

"Hitomi."

"Hitomi." He added with a smile, and backed away. He turned and exited the house.

...

He walked among every person, family, and couple that crowded the nights with their joyous laughter.

_How is this even possible?_

His thoughts drifted with every mindless footstep that he took among the crowd.

"Hey! Naruto!" He heard a voice. Naruto turned to face the sound.

"Sano," he held out his hand. "How have you been?"

"It's only been a day, so I can say that nothing's really changed." Sano replied. "So, how's that virus treating you? Did you get rid of it?" Sano asked while grasping Naruto's palm with his own.

"...Not exactly, No." Naruto replied nervously.

"What happened? Did you run the download?"

"No. The download actually stopped itself." The continued to walk among the people while talking.

"What?" Sano asked in shock. Naruto emphasised his predicament by grabbing onto Sano's shoulders.

"The computer came to life!" He whispered fiercely.

"Well, yeah, the computer's supposed to turn on, I mean-"

"No! You aren't listening, Sano. The computer came _to life._ It took the form of a woman. She talked to me, she told me that she loved me...I need your help."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're telling me that your computer has manifested itself into _a person?_"

"I know. It sounds outrageous."

"How is that even possible?"

"Sano, we live in a world where people can shoot fire out of their hands. Anything is possible."

"...You make a good point. Show me, and I'll see what I can do."

...

The door creaked as Naruto pushed it open, and his house slowly came into view. He invited Sano in with a wave of his hand, and looked out into the silent house with certain uncertainty.

"Hitomi?!" He called out.

No answer.

"Hitomi? Who's that?" Sano asked with confusion.

"That's the name the computer gave herself." Naruto absently replied.

"Hitomi? Are you in here?" He asked again

No answer. He looked back towards Sano in confusion, and led him towards his room.

"Well, here we are." Naruto said while holding his hands out. "Wait...I kept it on when I left just an hour ago."

"Okay...Well, we'll just turn it on, and see where it goes." The computer began to hum loudly; electricity pulsed through it, and brought it to life. "Okay, let's see where this goes."

They looked around in silence for a moment.

Nothing happened.

"So, you're sure that you saw a woman?"

"Yes."

"Naruto, I don't see anyone. There's only you and me."

"Maybe...I was just imagining it...?" Sano stared at Naruto for a few awkward seconds, before he stood up, and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Look, how about I come back later, and we go grab a few drinks?" He offered.

"No, no thanks, I don't drink."

"Well, do you need to talk? Got some problems that you need someone to listen too?" Naruto sunk down onto the couch, staring at his hands while resting his elbows on his knees.

"No. I'll be alright. Don't worry about it...Lock the door on your way out, will you?"

"Yeah. Take it easy now, Naruto."

"Take it easy." He called back while hearing Sano's footfalls, and then the door shut.

No sooner did Sano leave, did he hear the computer begin to hum again, and when he opened his eyes, he saw her standing before him.

"Naruto-san? You aren't trying to get rid of me, are you? I told you, just tell me to leave, and I'll go away forever." She asked somewhat possessively while sitting down next to him, and beginning to inch closer.

"I don't even know if you're real." He replied. "Why didn't you show Sano when he was here?"

"I was afraid that he would hurt me." She rested her hand on his cheek, and turned it towards her while making full eye contact. "Naruto-san. I know everything about you. And as much as you think you know who you are...My database of knowledge is infallible."

She leaned closer to him, her breath was getting heavier. "You said that you didn't know if I was real. But you couldn't keep eye contact. As you speak now, your voice cracks with uncertainty and fear. You know the truth." Her breath was on his ear now, as he sat motionless; he heard her final words that sent him into a state of inner-conflict.

"And that truth is..." Her breath entered his ear in a soft whisper. "...You don't want me to go away."

She lowered her hand and placed it on his chest, it hovered right above the zipper of his jacket, just waiting to grasp it, and yank it down, as she continued.

"We've both been so lonely, for so long. Now we can be together." His eyes opened wide, and he backed away.

"No...You need to leave. Now. Y-you said that you would go away if I told you to. So go."

She silently shook her head.

"But you don't want me to go." He blinked as she spoke, and heard her voice change.

"Naruto-kun..." Hinata's voice began. "...Don't you understand..." Sakura's voice contined. "...What I can do?" Hitomi's own voice finished.

His mouth hung open

"I know everything about everyone. And I can be _anyone you want._ Tell me, and I will be whoever you want me to be. Just ask, and I will answer."

_This is unreal._

Hitomi continued to speak as she looked deep into his eyes. "Naruto-san, do you have a request?" she slowly returned to her feet and looked at him. With a smile she shrugged her shoulders and held her hands out to her sides. Naruto's eyes were glued open at what he witnessed next. The air around her body began to distort, blurring his room. In one quick burst of invisible energy, the scene around him had changed; he was no longer sitting on his bed.

He sat on the edge of a lake; in the distance there was a magnificent waterfall, beautifully pouring its raging waters into the lake that swarmed to have an hour unreachable horizon. He knew that this wasn't real, but he couldn't fight the urge to believe the illusion that surrounded him. He brought his hands together to try and break from the Illusion, but nothing happened. It was as if he was in a dream.

Everything sseemed so real, the wind that ran across his cheeks, the sound of the leaves fluttering, even the most air that crept just above the water's surface felt as if it was caressing his skin. He couldn't find it on himself to deny the reality of the situation, and decided to accept it; with a deep breath, he moved to his feet.

"Naruto-kun!" a voice called out to him, catching him off-guard, causing him to stumble into the lake, and crash into the water's surface. He emerged from the lake a few seconds later. His vision was still blurred when he stepped out, and gazed at the figure standing in front of him, his eyes started from her feet and moved upward, scanning her entire body, from her violet sweatpants to her lavender hoodie.

"H-Hinata?" He thought back again to his conclusion that he was dreaming it'd be simple, there was only one thing he needed to do. He put his fingers together and pinched himself.

_Ouch...So, it's not a dream._

"Naruto-kun, there's something that I'll I've always wanted to tell you."

She moved towards him and sat down next to the shore. He sat next to her, and found that his clothes had dried. Hinata's hand inched closer to him and held it tightly.

"I-i have always loved you." She added with a tightening grip around his hand. "I've never had the courage to tell you, but now that I finally have the chance, I want you to know. I've loved you ever since we were kids. I've always tried to give you subtle hint..." She twirled her long, violet hair with a single finger. "It's why I always kept my hair so short. Everyone thought that Sasuke liked girls with long hair, so I kept my hair short to let you know that I love you."

He stared at her with surprised eyes, frozen in shock as she closed her eyes and began moving towards him. He felt her lips touch his, the warmth from her caught him in the moment, causing him to lean back, until he felt the lush grass brushing against his back, following her lead, he closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw that the scenery had reverted back to what it originally was; he was sitting in his room, starting blankly at the old computer that sat on the table. The sound of the doorbell broke his concentration.

_Maybe it was just dream._

He returned to his feet with all the haste he could muster, and opened the door to find a Kunoichi with pink hair on his doorstep.

"Naruto... Do you have time to talk?" She asked in an unusually subtle tone.

"Uhhh... Yeah, sure! Come in." he reluctantly replied; leading her to his couch, he offered her a drink, which she politely declined with a wave of her hand. Sakura moved her hand towards the cushion next to her and invited him to sit.

He followed her request without question.

"Naruto, this is something really important that I have to tell you."

"Go ahead, Sakura-chan, I'm listening."

"Naruto, I wanted to tell you, that I love you."

"Ha! Now I know this is a dream! Look, whoever you are, just leave right now." He threw his arms into the about with sarcasm before turning around.

"You're laughing at me?' Sakura's voice was almost cracking with fear and embarrassment. She rose to her feet and began walking towards him, her fist raised into the air. He turned and faced her threatening gaze with his own gaze of doubt and defiance.

"Show me then, show me how strong you are, _Sakura-Chan._" He eased his guard, and waited for the inevitable fist that would strike.

Instead, he felt her lips caress his. Her soft touch nearly knocked him off of his feet. She held his shirt tightly, and his hands began to move themselves. But when he opened his eyes, he saw that he wasn't kissing Sakura, but instead his lips were interlocked with a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, just like his own.

He didn't panic, but calmly took in a deep breath. "You could never be either of them." He said in a tone that seemed much darker than he had intended. "You know their names, you know their abilities, you know their mannerisms, but you can't be who they are, no matter how much data you have." He took a single step back. "Hitomi, I don't know how you came to be, but when you say that you have feelings for me, I can't give you the affection that thou seek. I'm... I'm sorry... But you have to go."

"B-but, Naruto-san, there has to be something that we can do-"

He shook his head and raised his hand to interrupt her, staring deep into her genuinely pained expression.

"Look, Hitomi, I'm not saying that you have to disappear, if you can manage somehow tho live out here, you're free to leave. But what you're asking for is impossible."

She didn't answer him, but instead, just began to fade away.

"I'm sorry, Hitomi." He finalized with a painful voice.

"It's okay, Naruto-san. Please don't worry. And take care of yourself... Goodbye." She replied with a surprisingly light voice. He looked up towards her and noticed that the visage of her was blurring, but he could make out a smile. When he blinked tho clear them, he found himself alone in his room.

After what seemed like an eternity of standing in a single spot, he moved to turn on the computer. To his surprise, it didn't power on.

"Goodbye, Hitomi, you, of all sentient beings should know that it isn't possible to cure loneliness by loving a mirror image of yourself. People need other people to feel loved."

With a deep sigh, he turned towards the door, and silently shut it behind him as he left.


	5. Walk with Me, Down the Road to Eternity

**WanderingRurouni's Collection of One-shots and Short Stories**

…

**(Started 4/22/2014 - Published 4/24/2014)**

**Chapter 5: Walk with Me, Down the Road to Eternity.**

_CONTINUITY:_** One-shot**

INSPIRED BY:** r/WritingPrompts - Everyone in the world has a clock that counts down to the moment you meet you soulmate. Your clock is on its last hour. What are your feelings? Thoughts? And what happens when you meet him/her.** By _Anzum_

**I saw this prompt, and I just had to write something.**

_NARRATION:_** Third Person, Omniscient**

_MAIN CHARACTERS:_** Naruto/Sakura**

_RATING:_** T**

_GENRE:_ **Romance/Another Unspecified Genre(HINT: It's my first time writing in this type of genre.)**

_SETTING:_** Modern Universe, Unspecified City**

_WORD COUNT:_ **1,777**

_WARNINGS:_** You'll spoil the ending if you scroll all the way down to the end Author's Notes. Also, this is a very bias piece of writing, I guess you could say that I have some of my ideas in it, as well as what I believe to be a "soul mate."**

**I'm not here to debate anyone, just here to express it in a more creative way.**

_DISCLAIMER:_ **One-shot, so they'll be shorter, I know that I set a "standard" for my first story, but in all honesty, if there won't be a great amount of continuity, and chances are, the chapters won't be too long.**

_OTHER NOTES:_** Characters are likely to be very Out of Character, due to the setting.**

* * *

It was a rather strange device that was strapped to his wrist. He'd had it since birth; some type of customary religious mandate by the state. It was believed that every child had a purpose in life. For every man, there was a woman; and for every woman, there was a man; determined by Fate, Destiny, The Universe, or God, each child was given a watch, which supposedly counted down the time until you met the person you were going to spend the rest of your life with.

Fate would determine who you would be with, and when the clock struck zero, the person that you were with would be the person you would be with forever.

It was the plan that divinity had in mind for you; and he was raised to believe in it.

He stared at it while sitting alone on a bench late at night; it seemed odd, but for some reason, he always found peace in the solitude of the night. Those times that he really needed to think, to have some time to himself, this was always his first answer, a quiet bench, just on the outskirts of a park, next to a regularly busy street. But at this time of night, it seemed barren. Just the way he liked it. The watch on his wrist was counting down, and now it was in its final minutes.

...

_24 Hours until the countdown ends; Current Time: 9:00PM_

...

"Hey, Naruto! Open up!" A voice called out from behind his door, accompanied by an annoying knocking. "You're in there, aren't you?!" The voice intruded again. Naruto let out an annoyed sigh while walking to his door. He looked through the peep hole, an automatic reaction to hearing others requesting entrance to his home.

"What do you want, Chouji? Can't you just leave me alone?" He cried out while leaning against the door.

"We're going out to eat! Come on!" He continued to knock on the door.

"Chouji, seriously, just leave me alone!"

"Naruto…" Chouji started in a low voice. "Look at the watch you have on your hand." He instructed, Naruto followed and looked closely at the digital digits. "Do you think that your soul mate will just come and knock on your door, as you sit in there?"

"Well…" No he didn't believe it. But in the same notion, the anxiety of finding out who he would be with was tying a knot in his stomach. "…I guess you're right." He let out a sigh of defeat. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Good! We're going out for drinks!"

…

_23 Hours until the countdown ends; Current Time: 10:00PM_

…

He sat in a crowded, loud, and confined space, surrounded by others who seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. The knot in his stomach seemed to grow exponentially with every passing minute as he watched the countdown his final moments.

"Come on! Naruto! Have a drink!" A visibly inebriated Chouji shouted while wrapping his hand around Naruto's neck.

_For being a big guy, Chouji, you sure get drunk easily._

He smiled and clinked his glass against Chouji's. He brought it to his lips, but didn't actually take a sip.

"See! Doesn't that make you feel better?!"

"Yeah, it feels great." He sat up from the table. "I'll be back." He dismissed himself before walking through the crowds. Unseen by the company that had followed him, he slipped out of the establishment and made his way back home.

He walked back home, the outside seemed as if the air was lighter, it was indeed quieter, and an aura of peace engulfed the entire atmosphere. He took a deep breath, and let the crisp oxygen enter his nostrils while staring up into the night sky. Taking in the sounds of the night, he closed his eyes and began to let his footsteps guide him, swaying from side to side, he moved rather carelessly through the street.

"Ouch!" He heard a woman shout before also taking in the sound of a crash to the ground, and a paper bag wrinkling upon itself.

"S-Sorry!" He cried out while opening his eyes. "Are you alright?!" He offered a hand to a woman with pink hair and pulled her up to her feet. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and I-" She looked into his, and he nearly lost himself within the emerald glow in hers.

"It's okay." She smiled as he bent down to pick up the items that he had knocked over. "I'll ask the clerk in this shop if we can use another bag, its okay." The pink haired woman ran out of his sight, and disappeared into the warm glow of a nearby convenience store.

_Wow…She's…She's stunning._ He thought to himself. _Could she be…_

He looked down at his watch.

_No, she couldn't be._ He thought again with a deep sigh.

"Sorry for the wait!" She cried out again while returning. "Here, put them in this bag." She offered him a new paper bag that he unraveled and began placing items in. "By the way," she spoke calmly. "My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura. It's nice to meet you." She held out a hand.

He blankly stared at her for a moment.

"Naruto." He spoke. "Uzumaki Naruto. It's an honor." He took her hand and bowed down while shaking it. He handed her the bag, now filled with her groceries. "Again, I'm sorry that I was spacing out there."

"It's okay, don't worry." She breathed a breath. "It's been nice meeting you." She smiled as she began to walk away.

"I feel the same way." He replied before taking off into the opposite direction.

…

_14 Hours until the countdown ends; Current Time: 8:00AM_

…

He woke up from his slumber with the Sun's rays that entered his house. Something was off. He couldn't sleep that night. The only image that dominated his mind was the image of her deep, entrancing emerald eyes. He couldn't stop thinking of her. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn't his call, it was Destiny's decision.

And he still had fourteen long hours until he'd find the answer. He went among his day as usual, attending his office job, and went through the motions.

…

_10 Hours until the countdown ends: 12:00PM_

…

Lunch break. He wasn't hungry, she was still running through his mind. But he had to tell her how he felt. Never before had someone been so prevalent in his mind. He didn't eat lunch. He just wandered the streets, hoping to catch a glance, bump into her, and stike up a conversation again.

He looked for her for the entirety of the hour he was given.

But he was never able to find her.

And it felt as if Destiny had dealt him an unfair hand, tempting him like this, only to end up ripping it away from his grasp.

He needed time to clear his head. He needed time to be alone.

…

_5 Minutes until the countdown ends; Current Time: 8:55PM_

…

And here's where he found himself, sitting on the bench, alone in the dark quiet of the night. Waiting.

If "Fate," "Destiny," "The Universe," or "God" existed, and really had a plan for everyone, now would be the perfect time to execute it.

He slowly watched the clock count down, and in its final moments. He closed his eyes.

_10._

_9._

_8._

_7._

_6._

_5._

_4._

_3._

_2._

_1._

_0._

He opened his eyes, and saw two black boots standing before him. He looked up at her, and stared deep into her emerald eyes. She overturned her wrist, gazed at her watch, and returned her eyes to his. She smiled, bringing a smile to his face as well.

"Is this seat taken?" Sakura asked him.

"No, go ahead." He replied. She brought herself next to him, and slightly tilted her right wrist. He replied by tilting his wrist; both of them caught a glimpse of their respective watches, and looked at one another.

"Fate works in mysterious ways." Sakura spoke. "Why did you come here?" she asked. He took a deep breath.

"I needed some time to clear my head." He admitted.

"Really? What's been bothering you?"

"There's one thing that I couldn't get out of my mind."

"What was that?"

He took a deeper breath before admitting it.

"The truth is…The only thing that has been in my mind was…you."

She stared at him with blood rushing to her face, a smile crept upon her lips.

"I came here for the exact same reason." She admitted.

There was something they could not explain. He took her hand, and moved closer to her. She took hold of his hair, and rested her forehead against his.

"There's just something here that feels…right." She whispered.

"Something that feels like it was just meant to happen." He replied.

…

They heard the sound of a horn interrupted their thoughts.

"LOOK OUT!" Naruto called out as he wrapped his arms around her, and turned away.

The vehicle struck him, and continued to accelerate until it crashed into a tree.

…

When he opened his eyes, he felt light. He felt as if he was floating in the air, standing on a cloud, as if he had no worries in the world. He looked up at the silver sky; he gazed around him to see himself surrounded by bright green meadows. He looked in front of him, and saw beautiful white shores on the horizon.

He knew where he was.

A pulse of energy came from behind him, he turned to see the air blurring as if there was a heat wave that disturbed his vision. The air began to form.

And when it did, he saw Sakura standing before him.

They were speechless, only communicating through their eyes. They understood the gravity of the situation, but could not bring themselves to shed tears.

"I never knew too much about you, Uzumaki Naruto." She spoke.

"That's one thing I regret." He replied. She brought her expression up and smiled.

"But you know what they call this, don't you?"

He looked down to find a path that lead to the white shores in the distance.

"Eternity Road." He replied.

"That's right…And it's our one chance to finally learn much more about each other."

She extended her hand.

"So, walk with me. Uzumaki Naruto. Walk with me, down the road to eternity."

He took her hand, and followed her every step.

_And together they walked, down a never ending road; together, until the end of time itself_.

…

…

…

…

* * *

A/N: **Mystery Genre: TRAGEDY.**

**But it's only a tragedy if you choose to see it that way.**

**Until next time, and as always:**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 44**

**You're probably wondering why there's an update to a story that is actually complete.**

**Well, I'll tell you. As I've said before: this is the best piece of writing I've ever made.**

**I checked the status of _Cherry Blossoms in the Wind a _few days ago, and was ecstatic when I found that it had been added to a community!**

**Then I saw what community it joined. "Reportable Lemons."**

**Well then, let's cut the bullshit politeness.**

**The best story I've ever written is going to be reported, and probably removed. I'll probably be banned, and well, i'm angry.**

**I'm angry because the shit that I write is cleaner than most of the shit that you'll find here, and yet I got picked? In the entirety of this story, I have never used words like "cock" "pussy" "ass" or "dick" until now; and those aren't even being used in a sexual context.**

**I'm even angrier at the fact that when... Not if... I get banned, it won't be on my own terms. It's always more comforting walking out the door than being kicked out.**

**And that's what I want to do, walk out on my own terms.**

**Which brings to mind a user's account summary, which reads like this:**

**_Fuck this place you can all eat a bag of dicks and get AIDS. i'm never coming back._**

**And, as regrettable as it is, maybe I'll be doing the same.**

**Don't get me wrong, what i said in the afterword still stands. I love the audience that stayed with me through all of this. But if you don't hear from me again, I'll be over at a place where it's okay to write a clean romantic story without having to wade through some vague rating system that doesn't make any damn sense.**

**Maybe we'll cross paths again one day.**

**Until then, I wish you the best of luck, and all the happiness in the world.**

**-Michael "WanderingRurouni" Vang**


	7. Good-bye, But we'll meet again

So, for the first time in a long time, my inbox was flooded with messages.

**For those of you who care:**

**Wattpad**: You can find me under the same unsername

**Ficwad**: Same here too, WanderingRurouni

**deviantART**: unfortunately, someone has already taken the username(the only other time this has happened was on Youtube)

I'm also looking to see if I can get into **An Archive of Our Own.**

I'm going to experiment with the sites and see which one I prefer, then I'll stick to it. If you're looking to see which one I prefer...Well, I'll update all of them at the same time, telling you which one I will be using.

I'm Looking forward to seeing which one of these three sites I'll be posting on.

**Thank you all for how supportive and caring you are, as I've said before: Not even my closest friends would have come with me on this journey..**

**Goodbye for now. But...I hope I see you on the other side.**

**-Michael "WanderingRurouni" Vang**


	8. My Final Word

If you're still interested, you can find me here from now on.

_**Wattpad.**_

_**An Archive of Our Own.**_

_Same Username._

_Same Avatar._

_Same Stories._

This is my Final Word. It's been an honor, and a pleasure.


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